No One Asked Me But… (March 8, 2017)

No one asked me but… President Trump delivered a State of the Union message to the joint Houses of Congress. In his speech he pointed out the widow of Seal Team Member Senior Chief Ryan Owens. Owens was killed in Yemen during a raid to secure intelligence information about Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization put together by Osama bin Laden.

While Congressmen of both parties are questioning the success of the raid, the real question should be: What are we doing in Yemen in the first place?

America has become the very country we rebelled against in 1776. Like the British Empire in its heyday, we have troops all over the world. This is the result of failing to heed the warnings of our founding fathers like George Washington and James Madison. When you have a large standing military you have to have something for them to do.

Madison warned that “In time of actual war, great discretionary powers are constantly given to the Executive Magistrate.” Since the 911 incident, Congress has given the President war powers without declaring war. Presidents, have in the last 16 years, carried out an undeclared war against a number of extreme radical Muslim groups around the world. With the consent of Congress, the President has assumed dictatorial powers Constitutionally reserved for the President in the time of war. President Obama prided himself on his ability to rule by “phone and pen.”

One may ask what is the danger of this? I think I will let two of our founding fathers answer that question.
In 1783 President George Washington explained the danger of a large standing army “… a large standing Army… hath ever been considered dangerous to the liberties of a Country, … it could not be done without great oppression of the people… the Mercinary Armies, … have at one time or another subverted the liberties of … the Countries they have been raised to defend…”

George’s answer to the problem inherent in a large standing army was a well organized militia. “It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defence of it, and consequently that the Citizens of America … from 18 to 50 Years of Age should be borne on the Militia Rolls, provided with uniform Arms, and so far accustomed to the use of them, that the Total strength of the Country might be called forth at a Short Notice…”

This is the very purpose of the 2nd Amendment. This is your answer, Nancy Pelosi, as to why any American needs a military style weapon in their home. Every able-bodied American should be armed and trained in the use of that weapon.
The 2nd Amendment is there to defend the country not the individual. The right of the individual to defend him or herself, by whatever means necessary, should be a given.

Until recently it was assumed that every American would defend his family and property. It has only been in the last few years that the American citizens have been taught to give in to the bully and thief. We teach our children to not only surrender their property but punish them when they defend themselves. We have raised a generation of people that expects someone else to protect them from the evil people of the world.

George continues: “They ought to be regularly Mustered and trained, and to have their Arms and Accoutrements inspected… there are a sufficient proportion of able-bodied young Men, between the Age of 18 and 25, who, … might easily be enlisted or drafted to form a Corps in every State, capable of resisting any sudden impression which might be attempted by a foreign Enemy, …”

This small cadre of professional troops would be the foundation of an army organized around the militia. It was basically this type of operation that won World War II. It was the young American citizen soldier who turned back the tide of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany.

James Madison stated: “A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. …the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.”
Madison also noted that never-ending war tends to destroy both liberty and prosperity. Madison went on to say in wartime “the discretionary power of the Executive is extended; No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”

We in America today have seen this happen as the Executive Branch of government has begun to pick and choose what laws to enforce and which to ignore based on the preference of the President and his party. We have a Supreme Court that makes decision based on party politics rather than points of law.

No one asked me but… It is time for the Republicans to understand that they are in charge of the federal government. They have, for eight years, contended they had marvelous programs for the American people. These plans were denied the American people because the Democrats under the leadership of Harry Reid and President Obama would not allow these plans to go into effect.It is time for Republics to shut up and put up.

The Democrats while in power knew how to get what they wanted done, done. The old adage that Republicans campaign on the issue that government does not work and when they are elected they set out to prove it, is true. You may not like President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi but they knew how to get done what they wanted done.

The greatest example of Republican ineptitude at the state level is the educational reform efforts of the party while they controlled the Assembly, Senate, and Governorship of Nevada. While they were in power, the Democrat minority party out-maneuvered them on every issue.

It is beginning to look like this will be the case on the federal level as well. The Republicans have control of all the branches the federal government for next two years. It is important that they pass whatever legislation they want during that time.

This may have to be done without the support of any of the Democrats. They might want to remember the Democrats cared little about their support when they were in power. The Republicans need to move and move now.